HalfCaste
by LyricsArePoetry
Summary: A poetry lesson for Callie Rose, and Half-Caste by John Agard catches her attention!


_a/n: when we did this poem in English the other day my first thoguht was Callie Rose! It's so perfect for her! This story is dedicated to my friend Steph who's birthday it is today! Happy Birthday Stephie! Ya getting old now! Please R&R everyone!:_

Half-Caste:  
Callie Rose:

_Excuse me  
standing on one leg  
I'm half-caste._

As my teacher started to read out this poem by John Agard I found myself, for the first time ever, paying attention to the lesson completely. The poem grabbed my attention. It was me. Halfer, Half-Caste, it was the same was in the middle. Not a Nought, not a Cross, just in between. Not excepted, or wanted by either. Or forced to chose between the two. There was no way I could do that. I'm not a Nought and I'm not a Cross, I'm both. I'm neither.

_Explain yuself  
wha yu mean  
when yu say half-caste  
yu mean when Picasso  
mix red an green  
is a half-caste canvas?_

All the things the teacher had said in past lessons about writing techniques suddenly made sense, and poetry no longer seemed so boring. Ok, let me rephrase that, poetry still was, and always would be, boring, but just this once wasn't. This poem was just amazing. John Agard was amazing. He completely understood what it was like to be like me. This poem made perfect sense to me. Red and Green made Brown. A metaphor for him - for me - because brown is sort of what you get when you mix black and white. When you mix Nought and Cross.

_explain yuself  
wha yu mean  
when yu say half-caste  
yu mean when light an shadow  
mix in de sky  
is a half-caste weather?  
well in dat case  
england weather  
nearly always half-caste  
in fact some o dem cloud  
half-caste till dem overcast  
so spiteful dem don't want de sun pass  
ah rass?_

I loved the sarcasm that was now coming out in this poem. And the truth of it. I had to be honest most people would probably take no notice of this poem and think no more of it. But I would never forget it. For the first time in my life it felt like someone understood what it was like to be like me. And he felt like me. He was so obviously fed up, and didn't understand the _point _of it

_explain yuself  
wha yu mean  
when yu say half-caste  
yu mean tchaikovsky  
sit down at dah piano  
an mix a black key  
wid a white key  
is a half-caste symphony?_

I had heard some music by Tchaikovsky, he was an amazing pianist. He always created the perfect harmony by using both the black and the white keys of the piano. Because life is a mixture of Noughts and Crosses, and people in between. It doesn't have to be so seperate, but people don't seem to understand that only together can a perfect harmony be created. Only if people learnt that Crosses aren't more important,and Noughts aren't nothing, and mixtures like me are still whole people!

_Explain yuself  
wha yu mean  
Ah listening to yu wid de keen  
half of mih ear  
Ah looking at yu wid de keen  
half of mih eye  
an when I'm introduced to yu  
I'm sure you'll understand  
why I offer yu half-a-hand  
an when I sleep at night  
I close half-a-eye  
consequently when I dream  
I dream half-a-dream  
an when moon begin to glow  
I half-caste human being  
cast half-a-shadow_

I couldn't work out if the poet was angry with society or just fed up of it, and it made me realise I wasn't sure if _I _was angry or just fed up. I guess I was both. I was angry that people were so stupid they couldn't just except Noughts, Crosses, 'Half-Castes' are all just people. We all have feelings, we all have dreams and ambitions. People are just so stupid that they can't see that we're all just people.

_but yu must come back tomorrow  
wid de whole of yu eye  
an de whole of yu ear  
an de whole of yu mind._

an I will tell yu  
de other half  
of my story

Fan-freaking-tastic! He really did get what it was like 100%. It's not us - me, him, and over people who are in the middle - who are the halves, if anything we're the ones who are truly whole. It's the Crosses who think they're better than the Noughts, and the Noughts who think the Crosses are scum that are the ones who are really half. They only see and hear what they want to see and hear, and they don't see the full story, because they don't want to see it. They don't want to listen, and be proved wrong. They put people down because it's easier than hearing the whole story. It's easier than listening. But they don't realise people like me, and John Agard are always going to be here.

And I'm not a Nought. I'm not a Cross. I'm not a Halfer. I'm just Callie Rose.


End file.
